Game management system

ABSTRACT

A game management system that ensures that points are given according to the player&#39;s bet amount is provided. The game management system, which manages casino games played at a casino facility, consists of: an gaming table for playing games with game tokens; a camera that captures the bet game tokens and acquires an image; a control device that specifies the betting amount for each player position in the gaming table based on positions, types, and numbers of the game tokens; and a point processing unit that associates member ID of each player identified by the reader/writer device and the bet amount of each player position identified by the reader/writer device, and records them in a recording device, wherein the point processing unit gives the points according to the bet amount of each player identified by the reader/writer device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This nonprovisional application is based on Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2018-031469 filed with the Japan Patent Office on Feb. 26, 2018, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a game management system for managingcasino games which are played in casino facilities.

BACKGROUND

In the related art, a point service of offering a point when a clientparticipates in a game has been provided as a part of a measure forkeeping clients for the purpose of an increase in profits of a casinomanager (a game promoter) in casino facilities. In this point service, aclient can acquire an incentive when the client collects points.

Specifically, a client first registers a member in a casino facility andthen a member ID is given to the client. The member ID is stored in amember card which is carried by the client. The casino managerascertains a time in which the client sits in a table and offers pointscorresponding to the time by reading the member card of the client whenthe client arrives at the table and when the client leaves the table.The offered points are records in a recording device of the casinofacility in correlation with the member ID of the client. The casinomanager consumes the points recorded in the recording device to offer anincentive to the client.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

In the point service according to the related art, points are offeredaccording to the time in which a client sits in a table, but the clientdoes not necessarily participate (perform betting) in all games evenwhen the client sits in the table and may participate in a gamesometimes while watching a game in which other clients participate.Accordingly, points are offered to a client who hardly participates ingames and does not contribute to sales of the casino manager, whichcauses a loss of the casino manager.

It is conceivable that points are offered according to an actual betamount of a client. However, in this case, a dealer or a pit managerneeds to manually input a bet amount whenever a client performs betting.Accordingly, an input miss or input omission is likely to occur. When aclient claims that reasonable points are not offered for a bet amount,it cannot be verified and thus a casino manager has to offer points inresponse to the client's claim. There may be a client with malice whomakes such a claim and thus the loss of the casino manager may beseverely large.

Therefore, an objective of the present disclosure is to provide a gamemanagement system that can reliably offer points corresponding to a betamount of each player.

Means of Solving the Problem

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided agame management system that manages a casino game which is played in acasino facility, the game management system including: a gaming table inwhich a game is played using game tokens; an information processingdevice that identifies a bet amount for each player position of thegaming table on the basis of a position, a type, and the number of gametokens which have been bet; a player identifying unit that identifies aplayer who participates in a game at each player position of the gamingtable; and a point processing unit that stores a member ID of eachplayer who is identified by the player identifying unit and a bet amountof each player position which is identified by the informationprocessing device in a database in correlation with each other, in whichthe point processing unit has a function of giving points based on a betamount of each player who is identified by the player identifying unitto the player.

With this configuration, it is possible to reliably offer points basedon a bet amount of a player. Note that, the information processingdevice may ascertain the position, the type, and the number of the gametokens on the basis of the image acquired by photographing the bet gametokens or may ascertain the position, the type, and the number of gametokens using other means.

The game management system may further include a game result determiningdevice that is able to determine a result of a game, and the pointprocessing unit may be configured to ascertain winning/losing and abalance of each player on the basis of information of the bet amount ofeach player and information of the game result determined by the gameresult determining device.

The game management system may further include a game token tray thataccommodates the game tokens, and the information processing device maybe configured to determine a total amount of the game tokens in the gametoken tray and to compare a total amount of the balance of each playerwith a total increase/decrease amount of the game token tray before andafter settlement of the game tokens.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may beconfigured to offer points to the players when the totalincrease/decrease amount of the game token tray before and aftersettlement of the game tokens and the total amount of the balance of theplayers match each other as a result of comparison.

With this configuration, it is possible to ascertain that payment orcollection of game tokens has been accurately performed by settlementand then to offer points.

In the game management system, the player identifying unit may be a faceauthentication system.

With this configuration, a player does not need to perform a particularaction such as presentation of a member card for identifying the playerand a player (a member) in each player position can be easilyidentified.

In the game management system, the player identifying unit may be areader device that is carried by each player and reads the member IDfrom a storage medium in which the member ID is stored.

With this configuration, it is possible to reliably identify a player.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may have afunction of ascertaining a start time and an end time at which eachplayer participates in a game in the gaming table and storing the starttime and the end time in the database.

With this configuration, it is possible to ascertain the time in which aplayer participates actually in a game in addition to an actual betamount.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may have afunction of calculating a bet amount of each player for each game.

With this configuration, it is possible to ascertain a bet amount ofeach player for each game.

The game management system may further include an incentive processingunit that provides an incentive on the basis of the bet amount which isaccumulated every month or every year.

With this configuration, it is possible to offer an incentive on thebasis of the points accumulated every month or every year.

The game management system may further include an incentive processingunit that provides an incentive on the basis of a bet amount which isaccumulated every successive days.

With this configuration, it is possible to offer an incentive on thebasis of the points accumulated every successive days (for example,three days).

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provideda game management system including a player identifying unit thatidentifies a player who participates in a game in a casino facility; acamera that acquires an image by photographing game tokens which eachplayer has bet in the game; an information processing device thatidentifies a bet amount of each player in the game on the basis of theimage; and a recording unit that records points of each player accordingto the bet amount identified by the information processing device.

With this configuration, it is also possible to reliably offer pointsbased on a bet amount of each player.

In the game management system, the recording unit may be a storagemedium which is carried by each player.

With this configuration, a player can request an incentive by consumingpoints using the storage medium.

In the game management system, the recording unit may be a database inwhich the points for each player are stored for a plurality of players.

With this configuration, a player does not need to have a storage mediumin order to collect points or to request an incentive by consumingpoints. A problem with counterfeit of such a storage medium isprevented.

The game management system may further include an incentive offeringdevice that offers an incentive to each player according to the pointsstored in the recording unit.

With this configuration, a player can enjoy scoring based on the pointswhich are held by the player.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may manage aplurality of gaming tables, ascertain a total bet amount for eachplayer, a net profit of each player, or a net profit of a game promoterin a predetermined time or period, offer points or a status to eachplayer under a predetermined condition on the basis of the total betamount, the net profit of each player, or the net profit of the gamepromoter, and output the offered points or status.

With this configuration, the accumulation of the total bet amount or thenet profit of each player or the net profit of the game promoter in aplurality of gaming tables are ascertained and points or status isoffered accordingly.

In the game management system, the predetermined time or period may be aday, successive days, or a month.

With this configuration, for example, points or status is offered to aplayer on the basis of the total bet amount a day.

In the game management system, the point processing unit mayadditionally offer the points or status when points are collectivelyoffered in the predetermined time or period.

With this configuration, it is possible to offer an incentive bycollectively collecting points for a short period of time.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may offer aright to enter a VIP room on the basis of the points or status.

With this configuration, an incentive of the right to enter a VIP roomcan be offered. Note that, the point processing unit may offer a rightto enter a VIP room when the points or status reaches a predeterminedreference value.

In the game management system, the points or status may be able to beexchanged for unrealizable game tokens.

With this configuration, it is possible to offer an incentive ofexchange for unrealizable game tokens. Note that, the points or statusand the unrealizable game tokens may be exchanged in accordance with apredetermined exchange rate.

In the game management system, the points or status may be able to beused for paying a usage fee for a hotel or a predetermined facility.

With this configuration, it is possible to offer an incentive of use ofa hotel or a predetermined system.

In the game management system, the point processing unit may output thetotal bet amount of each player as credit information of the player.

With this configuration, it is possible to acquire credit informationbased on the total bet amount.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a gaming table according to a firstembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a game token tray according to thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a game tokenmanagement system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a game token tray according to amodified example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a game token tray according to amodified example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating the game token tray according to thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a game managementsystem according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a reader/writer device and a membercard in the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating information which is stored in a membercard in the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating information of each member which isrecorded on a recording device in the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between incentives, thenumbers of consumed points, and offering conditions which are stored inthe recording device in the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of a playeridentifying unit in the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another modified example of the playeridentifying unit according to the second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

When a game concludes, a dealer picks up the game tokens bet by playersand pays out the game tokens for the players according to a game resultand details of the bets (such as a bet target and a bet amount) of eachplayer. Preferably, whether or not this collection and payout(hereinafter, the collection and the payout will be collectivelyreferred to as “settlement”) has been accurately performed is determinedat the time of the settlement to allow the players and the dealer toclearly recognize it.

In this regard, this embodiment provides a system for displayingaccuracy of settlement at the time of the game token settlementsubsequent to the end of the game.

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a gaming table according to thisembodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a game token trayaccording to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a wholeconfiguration of a game token management system including the game tokentray.

The gaming table 4 is a baccarat table around which respective bet areas44 are provided for seven players. The bet area 44 of each playerincludes a player area (PLAYER) 441, a banker area (BANKER) 442, a timearea (TIE) 443, a player pair area (P) 444, and a banker pair area (B)445. Each player performs betting by placing game tokens of the betamount in a position corresponding to the bet target. In addition, thegaming table 4 includes a player card area 45 where the drawn playercards are placed and a banker card area 46 where the drawn banker cardsare placed.

A game token tray 17 for allowing the dealer to store game tokens isprovided in front of a dealer position of the gaming table 4. At least apart of the game token tray 17 is buried in the gaming table 4.

The game token 120 used in this embodiment has the same configuration asthose of the first to third embodiments. That is, the game token 120 hasa symbol, a pattern, or a color by which a type (value) can beidentified from each of the front and side faces. In addition, the gametoken 120 has at least an RFID embedded to store information foridentifying the type.

A camera device 2 is provided over the gaming table 4 to photograph thebet area 44. The gaming table 4 according to this embodiment has sevenplayer positions (“1”, “2”, “3”, “5”, “6”, “7”, and “8” in FIG. 1) forallowing participation of seven players. The camera device 2 photographsthe bet areas 44 of all player positions. Note that the bet areas 44 ofall the player positions may not be photographed by a single cameradevice 2, or all the bet areas 44 may be photographed by a plurality ofcamera devices 2 in a distributed manner.

The management control device 50 has all the functions described in thefirst to third embodiments. The management control device 50 specifies aposition (bet target), a type, and the number of the game tokens placedin the bet area on the basis of the image photographed by the cameradevice 2. A device such as the camera device 2 and the managementcontrol device 50 functions as a measurement device or a betdetermination device for measuring the position, the type, and thenumber of the game tokens on the gaming table 4, and its configurationand function are similar to those of the camera device 2 and the imageanalysis device 12 of the first embodiment.

The card distribution device 3 also has a configuration and a functionsimilar to those of the first embodiment. That is, the card distributiondevice 3 determines a game winning/losing result on the gaming table 4and displays it on a result indicator lamp. In addition, the carddistribution device 3 transmits the determined game winning/losingresult to the management control device 50. The management controldevice 50 has a function of recognizing the position, the type, and thenumber of the game tokens on the gaming table 4 and performing a balancecount for the casino side on the gaming table 4 using a winning/losingresult obtained from the card distribution device 3 as a winning/losingdetermination device.

On the basis of details of the betting determined from the image of thecamera device 2 and the information regarding the winning/losing resultobtained from the card distribution device 3, the management controldevice 50 recognizes, by calculation, the amount of the game tokens tobe collected by the casino side on the gaming table 4 in thecorresponding game and the amount of the game tokens to be paid out bythe casino side, and compares each of them with the amount of the gametokens actually increasing in the game token tray 17 through thecollection and the amount of the game tokens actually decreasing in thegame token tray 17 through the payout.

The management control device 50 reads the RFID of the game token 120stored in the game token tray 17 at a predetermined time interval andstores the read information when a change occurs. On the basis of thestored information, the management control device 50 compares the typeand the number of the game tokens at the past time point and the typeand the number of the game tokens at the current time point, andcalculates a change amount of the game tokens 120 in the game token tray17.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the game token tray 17 has a storing portion170 and indicator lamps 173 to 176. The storing portion 170 has aplurality of columns, and each column is configured to store the gametokens by stacking them in a thickness direction. As illustrated in FIG.3, an antenna 177 is disposed under the storing portion 170.

The indicator lamp 173 displays whether or not a balance between thecollected amount and the paid amount is correct. The indicator lamp 174displays whether or not a total amount of the collected game tokens iscorrect, and whether or not a total amount of the paid game tokens iscorrect. The indicator lamp 175 displays whether or not the collectionamount or the payout amount of the game tokens bet on the pair iscorrect.

A total of seven indicator lamps 176 are provided to match the sevenplayer positions. In the collection stage, an indicator lamp 176corresponding to the player whose game tokens are to be collected (loserin the game) is turned on. In the payout stage, an indicator lampcorresponding to the player who has to get the game tokens (winner inthe game) is turned on. Note that, in FIG. 3, only the indicator lamp173 is illustrated as a representative of the indicator lamps 173 to176, and the other indicator lamps 174 to 176 are not illustrated forsimplicity purpose.

The management control device 50 controls switching on/off operations ofthe indicator lamps 173 to 176 in order to display the comparison result(match or mismatch). The game token management system according to thisembodiment checks whether or not the settlement of the game tokens isappropriately performed in real time using the indicator lamps 173 to176. The game token management system according to this embodiment alsochecks, in real time, whether or not a wrongful game token is includedin the collected game tokens.

First, the management control device 50 specifies a player whoparticipates in the game on the gaming table 4 and associates theparticipating player with the player position number (“1”, “2”, “3”,“5”, “6”, “7”, and “8”) of the gaming table 4. Specifically, themanagement control device 50 can identify a player of each playerposition using a face authentication system or a membership card.

When a game concludes, the management control device 50 checks the gametokens to be collected by the dealer (winning chips of the casino side)for each player on the basis of the game result, and turns on theindicator lamp 176 corresponding to the player position to be collected.As a result, the dealer can recognize where the game tokens are to becollected out of the player positions.

When a game concludes, first, a dealer picks up all of the game tokensto be collected from the bet area of the loser (collection stage), andthen pays out the game tokens for the winner (payout stage). In thecollection stage, the dealer stores the game tokens collected from thebet area of the gaming table 4 in the storing portion 170 of the gametoken tray 17 by checking the indicator lamp 176. Specifically, thedealer stores the collected game tokens in any two right columns servingas a collecting portion in order of the player position number.

Whenever the dealer picks up the game tokens from the bet area 41 andstores them in the collecting portion of the storing portion 170, themanagement control device 50 determines whether or not the game tokensare collected from the bet area 44 and the amount of the collected gametokens on the basis of the image from the camera device 2. In addition,the management control device 50 determines the amount of the gametokens stored in the collecting portion (increase amount) on the basisof the radio waves received via the antenna 177. Note that, although thetwo columns of the right side out of fourteen columns serve as thecollecting portion of the storing portion 170 in this embodiment, thecollecting portion for storing the collected game tokens may be, forexample, a horizontal collection game token tray 171 or a collectiongame token tray 171 separated from the other columns.

Here, the management control device 50 obtains, for each player, theincrease amount by calculating a difference of the total amount of thegame tokens of the storing portion 170 before and after the collectionusing the RFID. In this manner, the management control device 50 thatdetermines the amount of the game tokens held in the storing portion 170by reading the information of their types (values) from the RFIDs of thegame tokens held in the storing portion 170 corresponds to a dealer chipdetermination device according to the present invention.

The management control device 50 determines whether or not the actualcollection amount determined on the basis of the image from the cameradevice 2 (image-based collection amount), the increase amount of thegame tokens in the collecting portion determined on the basis of theradio wave received from the antenna 177 (RFID-based collection amount),and the collection amount calculated on the basis of the game result anddetails of the bets of the losers (calculation-based collection amount)match each other.

If the image-based collection amount, the RFID-based collection amount,and the calculation-based collection amount match each other, themanagement control device 50 turns off the corresponding indicator lamp176. The dealer can recognize that collection of the game tokens fromthe players is accurately completed by checking the turn-off state ofthe indicator lamp 176.

Meanwhile, in a case where the image-based collection amount, theRFID-based collection amount, and the calculation-based collectionamount do not match, the indicator lamp 176 remains in the turn-onstate. Therefore, the dealer can recognize whether or not the collectionof the game tokens from the corresponding player is accuratelycompleted, or whether or not there is a wrongful game token in thecollected game tokens.

If the collection of the game tokens described above is completed forall the losers, all the indicator lamps 176 are turned off. At this timepoint, the management control device 50 determines a total increaseamount in the collecting portion using the RFID again, and compares thetotal increase amount and the total calculation-based collection amountcalculated on the basis of the game result and details of bets of alllosers. If both amounts match each other, the indicator lamp 174 isturned on.

Here, the management control device 50 calculates a difference betweenthe total amount of the game tokens in the storing portion 170 obtainedusing the RFID before starting the collection stage after completion ofthe game and the total amount of the game tokens in the storing portion170 obtained using the RFID after completion of the collection, in orderto obtain a total RFID-based collection amount. The dealer can recognizethat the collection of the game tokens is accurately completed bychecking the turn-on state of the indicator lamp 174.

Note that the management control device 50 determines whether or not theimage-based collection amount determined on the basis of the image fromthe camera device 2, the RFID-based collection amount determined on thebasis of the radio waves received from the antenna 177, and thecalculation-based collection amount calculated on the basis of the gameresult and details of the bets of the losers match each other inaforementioned description. Alternatively, the management control device50 may determine only whether or not the image-based collection amountmatches the calculation-based collection amount or only whether or notthe RFID-based collection amount matches the calculation-basedcollection amount.

In the aforementioned description, the management control device 50determines a total increase amount using the RFID again if it isdetermined that the collection is completed for all losers. In addition,the management control device 50 turns on the indicator lamp 174 if thetotal increase amount matches the total calculation-based collectionamount. Alternatively, the management control device 50 may operate asfollows. Specifically, the management control device 50 stores the RFIDinformation read whenever there is a change in the amount of the gametokens 120 in the game token tray 17 as described above. In addition,the management control device 50 may determine a total increase amountwhenever there is a change in the amount of the game tokens 120 in thegame token tray 17 and determine whether or not the total increaseamount matches the total calculation-based collection amount.Furthermore, the management control device 50 may turn on the indicatorlamp 174 when it is determined that both the amounts match each other.

Next, the dealer pays for the winner (payout stage). If the collectionfor all of the losers is completed, the management control device 50turns on the indicator lamp 176 corresponding to the player for whichthe game tokens are to be paid out. The dealer can recognize the playerto be paid out by checking the indicator lamp 176. In the payout stage,the dealer performs the payout by extracting the game tokenscorresponding to the payout amount from the storing portion 170 andplacing the extracted game tokens on the bet area of the correspondingplayer.

The management control device 50 determines whether or not the gametoken is extracted on the bet area and the amount of the extracted gametokens on the basis of the image from the camera device 2 whenever thedealer extracts the game token from the storing portion 170 and placesit on the gaming table 4. In addition, the management control device 50determines the amount of the game tokens extracted from the storingportion 170 (decrease amount) on the basis of the radio waves receivedvia the antenna 177. Here, the management control device 50 obtains, foreach player, the decrease amount by calculating a difference of thetotal amount of the game tokens in the storing portion 170 before andafter the payout using the RFID.

The management control device 50 determines whether or not the actualpayout amount determined on the basis of the image from the cameradevice 2 (image-based payout amount), the decrease amount of the gametokens in the storing portion 170 determined on the basis of the radiowaves received from the antenna 177 (RFID-based payout amount), and thepayout amount of the corresponding winner calculated on the basis of thegame result and details of bets (calculation-based payout amount) matcheach other.

If the image-based payout amount, the RFID-based payout amount, and thecalculation-based payout amount match each other, the management controldevice 50 turns off the corresponding indicator lamp 176. The dealer canrecognize that the payout of the game tokens for the correspondingplayer is accurately completed by checking the turn-off state of theindicator lamp 176.

Meanwhile, if the image-based payout amount, the RFID-based payoutamount, and the calculation-based payout amount do not match, theindicator lamp 176 remains in the turn-on state. Therefore, the dealercan recognize that the payout to the corresponding player is notcompleted.

As the payout of the game tokens for all winners is completed, all theindicator lamps 176 are turned off. At this time point, the managementcontrol device 50 determines a total decrease amount in the storingportion 170 using the RFID again, and compares the total decrease amountand the total calculation-based payout amount calculated on the basis ofthe game result and details of the bets. If both the amounts match eachother, the management control device 50 turns on the indicator lamp 174.

Here, the management control device 50 obtains the total RFID-basedpayout amount by calculating a difference between a total amount of thegame tokens in the storing portion 170 obtained using the RFID beforestarting the payout stage after completion of the collection and a totalamount of the game tokens in the storing portion 170 obtained using theRFID after completion of the payout. The dealer can recognize that thepayout of the game tokens is accurately completed by checking theturn-on state of the indicator lamp 174.

Note that, in the aforementioned description, the management controldevice 50 determines whether or not the image-based payout amountdetermined on the basis of the image from the camera device 2, theRFID-based payout amount determined on the basis of the radio wavesreceived via the antenna 177, and the calculation-based payout amountcalculated on the basis of the game result and details of the bet of thecorresponding winner totally match each other. Alternatively, themanagement control device 50 may determine only whether or not theimage-based payout amount matches the calculation-based payout amount,or only whether or not the RFID-based payout amount matches thecalculation-based payout amount.

In the aforementioned description, the management control device 50determines the total decrease amount using the RFID again if it isdetermined that payout for all winners is completed. In addition, themanagement control device 50 turns on the indicator lamp 174 if thetotal decrease amount matches the total calculation-based payout amount.Alternatively, the management control device 50 may operate as follows.Specifically, the management control device 50 stores the RFIDinformation read whenever there is a change in the amount of the gametokens 120 in the game token tray 17 as described above. In addition,the management control device 50 may determine the total decrease amountwhenever there is a change in the amount of the game tokens 120 in thegame token tray 17 and determine whether or not the total decreaseamount matches the total calculation-based payout amount. Furthermore,the management control device 50 may turn on the indicator lamp 174 whenit is determined that both the amounts match each other.

If the settlement (collection and payout) of the game tokens iscompleted as described above, the management control device 50determines whether or not the total change amount of the game tokens inthe storing portion 170 through the settlement is correct. Specifically,the management control device 50 obtains a total change amount caused bythe settlement (total RFID-based change amount) by calculating adifference between a total amount of the game tokens in the storingportion 170 obtained using the RFID before starting the settlement aftercompletion of the game and a total amount of the game tokens in thestoring portion 170 obtained using the RFID after completion of thesettlement.

Meanwhile, the management control device 50 calculates the total changeamount of the dealer caused by the settlement of the corresponding gameon the basis of the game result and details of the bets (totalcalculation-based change amount). The calculation-based change amountmay be obtained by subtracting the total calculation-based payout amountfrom the calculation-based collection amount. The management controldevice 50 compares the total RFID-based change amount and the totalcalculation-based change amount. If both the amounts match each other,the management control device 50 turns on the indicator lamp 174. Thedealer can recognize that the settlement of the game tokens in thecorresponding game is accurately completed by checking the turn-on stateof the indicator lamp 171. Then, the dealer can start the next game.

Next, the indicator lamp 175 will be described. The indicator lamp 175functions as a pair lamp. In a baccarat game, a player is allowed to beton “PAIR” in addition to “PLAYER”, “BANKER”, and “TIE”. The “PAIR” meansthat the first two cards have the same rank. Specifically, the “PAIR”includes “PLAYER PAIR” in which the first two player cards have the samerank and “BANKER PAIR” in which the first two banker cards have the samerank.

In a case where any one of the players is betting on PAIR, and the twocards have the same rank (a pair is established), a predeterminedmultiplication factor (for example, payment of 11 to 1) of a bet amountof game tokens are paid out for a player who bets the pair regardless ofthe game result (“PLAYER”, “BANKER”, or “TIE”). If the pair is notestablished, all of the game tokens bet on the pair are collected. Ifthe pair is not established when the first four cards (two for playerand two for banker) are drawn, the game tokens bet on the pair at thattiming are collected.

In a case where a bet is made for the “PAIR”, the management controldevice 50 calculates a total calculation-based collection amount (if thepair is not established) or a total calculation-based payout amount (ifthe pair established) when the four cards are drawn. In addition, themanagement control device 50 compares it with the total change amount ofthe game tokens in the storing portion 170 obtained using the RFIDbefore and after the settlement for the pair. Note that the managementcontrol device 50 may recognize whether or not a bet is made on the pairor the bet amount on the basis of the image of the camera device 2.

If the total calculation-based collection amount or the totalcalculation-based payout amount matches the total change amount of thegame tokens in the storing portion 170, the management control device 50turns on the indicator lamp 175. The dealer can recognize that thesettlement for the pair is accurately completed by checking the turn-onstate of the indicator lamp 175.

Alternatively, the management control device 50 may turn on theindicator lamp 175 if a bet is made on the pair. The timing for turningon the indicator lamp 175 may be either when the bets conclude or whenthe four cards are drawn. In this case, the dealer can recognize that itis necessary to perform settlement for the pair by checking the turn-onstate of the indicator lamp 175.

In this case, the management control device 50 turns off the indicatorlamp 175 if the total calculation-based collection amount or the totalcalculation-based payout amount matches the total change amount of thegame tokens in the storing portion 170. The dealer can recognize thatthe settlement for the pair is accurately completed by checking theturn-off state of the indicator lamp 175.

Note that, in the baccarat game, a game may conclude by drawing the fourcards (two for player cards and two for banker cards), or the fifth cardor the subsequent sixth card may be drawn, depending on the ranks of thedistributed cards, in some cases. If the game concludes with four draws,the typical settlement described above is performed as soon as thesettlement of the pair is finished. If the fifth or subsequent card isdrawn, the settlement for the pair is performed after drawing the fourthcard. As the settlement for the pair is completed, the fifth card (orthe subsequent sixth card) is drawn. As the game concludes, the typicalsettlement described above is performed.

Note that, in the aforementioned embodiment, during the collectionstage, the indicator lamp 176 of the loser whose game tokens are to becollected is turned on, and the indicator lamp 176 is turned off inorder of the player for which the collection is completed. Similarly,during the payout stage, the indicator lamp 176 of the winner for whichthe game tokens are to be paid out is turned on, and the indicator lamp176 is turned off in order of the player for which the payout iscompleted. Alternatively, all of the indicator lamps 176 may be turnedon by changing color between the winner and the loser at the end of thegame.

For example, the indicator lamp 176 corresponding to the loser may beturned on in red, and the indicator lamp 176 corresponding to the winnermay be turned on in green. In this case, the dealer can recognize thatthe collection from all of the losers is accurately completed bychecking the turn-off states of all the red indicator lamps 176. Inaddition, the dealer can recognize that the payout for all the winnersis accurately completed by checking the turn-off states of all the greenindicator lamps 176.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a game token tray according to amodification. In the game token tray 17 of FIG. 4, like referencenumerals denote like elements as in the game token tray 17 of FIG. 2,and they will not be described for simplicity purposes. In the gametoken tray 17 of this modification, the indicator lamps 1761 to 1765 ofeach bet target (specifically, the indicator lamp 1761 indicating“PLAYER”, the indicator lamp 1762 indicating “BANKER”, the indicatorlamp 1763 indicating “TIE”, the indicator lamp 1764 indicating “PLAYERPAIR”, and the indicator lamp 1765 indicating “BANKER PAIR”) and theindicator lamp 178 indicating that the settlement is accuratelycompleted are provided for each player position.

The indicator lamps 1761 to 1765 are turned on depending on the bettarget of each player (position where the game tokens are placed), andare turned off as the settlement is completed. The indicator lamp 178 isturned on when the settlement is accurately completed for each player.

The game token tray 17 according to the first modification has indicatorlamps 1741 to 1745 indicating that the settlement for each bet target(such as “PLAYER”, “BANKER” “TIE”, “PLAYER PAIR”, and “BANKER PAIR”) isaccurately completed. The game tokens are paid out for any one of“PLAYER”, “BANKER”, and “TIE”, and are collected for the other bets,depending on the game winning/losing result. In addition, if the playerpair is established, the game tokens are paid out for “PLAYER PAIR”. Ifthe player pair is not established, the game tokens are collected for“PLAYER PAIR”. Similarly, if the banker pair is established, the gametokens are paid for “BANKER PAIR”. If the banker pair is notestablished, the game tokens are collected for “BANKER PAIR”. Theindicator lamps 1741 to 1745 are turned on when the settlement(collection or payout) for each of “PLAYER”, “BANKER” “TIE”, “PLAYERPAIR”, and “BANKER PAIR” is accurately completed.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a game token tray 17 according toanother modification. As illustrated in the example of FIG. 5, the gametoken tray 17 may have only the indicator lamp 173 indicating whether ornot the balance between the collected amount and the paid amount iscorrect.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a game token tray 17 according tofurther another modification. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the game tokentray 17 may have an indicator lamp 173 indicating whether or not thebalance between the collected amount and the paid amount is correct andthe indicator lamp 174 indicating whether or not a total collectedamount is correct and whether or not a total paid amount is correct.

Note that, in the aforementioned embodiment and its modifications, themanagement control device 50 determines the amount of game tokens storedin the game token tray 17 by wirelessly reading the information from theRFID embedded in the game token using the RFID embedded in the gametoken and the antenna 177 embedded under the game token tray 17.Alternatively, the management control device 50 may determine the amountof the game tokens stored in the game token tray 17 by providing acamera device for photographing the game tokens stored in the game tokentray 17 and recognizing the image of the camera device. In this case,the game token may not have the RFID.

In the aforementioned embodiment, a plurality of indicator lampsincluding the indicator lamp 173 are physically realized as lamps.Alternatively, such lamps may be provided as images on a display devicesuch as a liquid crystal panel.

In the aforementioned embodiment, the information regarding the type andthe number of the game tokens 120 stored in the game token tray 17 isdetermined by reading the RFID embedded in the game token 120.Alternatively or additionally, the information regarding the type andthe number of the game tokens 120 stored in the game token tray 17 maybe determined by providing a camera device for photographing the gametokens 120 stored in the game token tray 17 and recognizing the imageusing the management control device 50. In this case, as the cameradevice for photographing the game token tray 17, the camera device 2described above may be commonly used, or a dedicated camera device maybe provided.

In a case where image recognition is performed for the image of thecamera device in addition to the RFID reading, the game tokens 120 maybe verified by comparing the number of the game tokens 120 obtainedthrough the RFID reading with the number of the game tokens determinedthrough the image recognition. If the RFID of the game token tray 17 isfailed, or the stored game token has no RFID (wrongful game token), thenumber determined through the image recognition becomes larger than thenumber determined through the RFID reading. Therefore, in the case ofsuch discrepancy occurs, the management control device 50 turns on theindicator lamp, so that the dealer can recognize that a wrongful gametoken is contained in the game token tray 17 by checking the indicatorlamp.

In particular, in a case where a discrepancy in the number of the gametokens occurs as a result of performing the RFID reading and the imagerecognition at a predetermined time interval and performing theaforementioned comparison whenever the information is updated, it isrecognized that such a discrepancy is caused by the game token 120recently added to the game token tray 17. Therefore, it is possible toidentify a player who has a wrongful game token.

The management control device 50 may verify that the corresponding gametokens do not exist on the gaming table as the dealer collects the gametokens from the gaming table. In this case, specifically, the managementcontrol device 50 determines how much game tokens are bet on which bettarget and what is the type of the game tokens on the basis of the imagefrom the camera device 2, determines the amount to be collected inaccordance with the game rule according to the game result of the carddistribution device 3 (calculation-based collection amount), andverifies that the game tokens 120 corresponding to the calculation-basedcollection amount do not exist on the gaming table 4 on the basis of theimage from the camera device 2.

The management control device 50 may verify whether or not thecollection is accurately performed by comparing the amount of the gametokens that do not exist on the gaming table 4 (image-based collectionamount) with the amount of the game tokens added to the game token tray17 on the basis of the image from the camera device 2 described above.In this case, if both the amounts do not match as a result of thecomparison, the management control device 50 turns on the indicatorlamp.

The management control device 50 may verify that the corresponding gametokens exist on the gaming table as a result that the dealer pays outthe game tokens on the gaming table. In this case, specifically, themanagement control device 50 determines how much game tokens are bet onwhich bet target and what is the type of the game tokens on the basis ofthe image from the camera device 2, determines the amount to be paid outin accordance with the game rule according to the game result of thecard distribution device 3 (calculation-based payout amount), andverifies that the game tokens 120 corresponding to the calculation-basedpayout amount are added on the gaming table 4 on the basis of the imagefrom the camera device 2.

The management control device 50 may verify whether or not the payout isaccurately performed by comparing the amount of the game tokens added onthe gaming table 4 (image-based payout amount) and the amount of thegame tokens extracted from the game token tray 17 on the basis of theimage from the camera device 2 described above. In this case, if boththe amounts do not match as a result of the comparison, the managementcontrol device 50 turns on the indicator lamp.

As described above, the dealer basically collects the game tokens 120bet by the losers in order of the player position number. The managementcontrol device 50 determines whether or not the dealer takes the chipsin accordance with this rule (in order of the player position number)and also determines whether or not the amount of the chips sequentiallycollected is correct. In this case, the management control device 50determines how far the dealer collects the game tokens (what is theplayer position at which collection of the game tokens is currentlyperformed) in addition to the individual player position and all of theplayer positions, and accordingly determines whether or not the gametokens 120 collected from the gaming table 4 in each stage are reliablyadded to the game token tray 17. For example, when the game tokens 120are collected from three positions, the management control device 50determines whether or not the game tokens 120 are reliably stored in thegame token tray 17 from three positions.

As described above, according to this embodiment and its modifications,the indicator lamp 173 or the like is provided to indicate whether achange of the game tokens in the game token tray 17 after an end of thegame is accurate and/or inaccurate. Therefore, it is possible torecognize, in real time, whether or not settlement is accuratelyperformed at the time of the settlement.

While various embodiments of the invention have been describedhereinbefore, a person ordinarily skilled in the art would modify themwithin the scope of the invention. In addition, the devices according tothe embodiments may be appropriately modified as necessary depending onan applied game.

Second Embodiment

In a second embodiment, a game management system for carrying out apoint service will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating aconfiguration of a game management system according to this embodiment.A game management system 100 is installed in casino facilities andmanages casino games which are carried out in the casino facilities. Inthe casino facilities, a plurality of gaming tables 4 for playing a gameusing game tokens 9 is provided.

The configurations of the gaming table 4 and a camera 2, a carddistribution device 3, a game token tray 17, and a control device 50which are provided in the gaming table 4 are the same as in the firstembodiment. That is, similarly to the first embodiment, the controldevice 50 identifies a position (a player position and a bet target), atype, and the number of game tokens placed in a bet area on the basis ofan image captured by the camera 2 and calculates a bet amount from theidentified type and number of game tokens for each player position.

The control device 50 ascertains positions, types, and numbers of gametokens 9 on the gaming table 4, receives a winning/losing result fromthe card distribution device 3 serving as a winning/losing determinationdevice, and calculates a collection amount and a payout amount for eachplayer position on the basis of the winning/losing result and thecalculated bet amount for each player position.

In each gaming table 4 in this embodiment, a reader/writer device 5 isadditionally provided at a dealer position. The reader/writer device 5is connected to the control device 50. The control device 50 of eachgaming table 4 is connected to a management control device 60 tocommunicate therewith in a wired or wireless manner. That is, themanagement control device 60 is connected to the control devices 50 of aplurality of gaming tables 4.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the reader/writer device 5 and a membercard 1. The member card 1 is a plastic card and has an RF tag 11incorporated therein. A member ID which is given to a player (a member)through member registration which will be described later, points heldby the corresponding player (held points), and the like are stored inthe RF tag 11. An antenna is provided in the RF tag 11 and informationcan be written and read in a noncontact manner using the reader/writerdevice 5.

The reader/writer device 5 includes a radio unit 51, a seating button52, a seat-leaving button 53, and a position designation button 54. Theradio unit 51 performs writing and reading information to and from theRF tag 11 incorporated into the member card 1 in an RFID manner. Theposition designation button 54 includes buttons “1”, “2”, “3”, “5”, “6”,“7”, and “8” corresponding to seven positions of the gaming table 4 anda button “C” for cancelling designation.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating information which is stored in themember card 1. In the member card 1, a member ID, held points, a latestbalance, points acquired in three latest days, points acquired in onelatest month, and points acquired in one latest year are stored. As thelatest balance, the total value of a payout amount (plus) and acollected amount (minus) between the previous seating and the previousseat leaving is written.

When a player arrives at a player position of the gaming table 4, adealer D receives the member card 1 from the player and causes thereader/writer device 5 to read the member card 1. Specifically, thedealer D presses the position designation button 54 of the correspondingplayer position, presses the seating button 52, and holds the membercard 1 up over the radio unit 51 to read information stored in themember card 1. Accordingly, the reader/writer device 5 can identify theplayer located in each player position using the member ID and thereader/writer device 5 serves as a player identifying unit.

The reader/writer device 5 outputs (transmits) the information read bythe radio unit 51, a seating signal based on the pressing of the seatingbutton 52, and information of the player position in which the playercorresponding to the member ID is seated to the control device 50. Thecontrol device 50 records the information received from thereader/writer device 5 and records a time at which the seating signalhas been received as a start time. The start time is stored in the formof date and time. The control device 50 transmits the information of thestart time and the member ID received from the reader/writer device 5 tothe management control device 60.

The control device 50 ascertains at which player position a player witha certain member ID plays a game on the basis of the member ID and theinformation of the player position received from the reader/writerdevice 5. While a player is playing a game a plurality of times, thecontrol device 50 calculates and records a bet amount, a payout amount,and a collected amount for each member ID.

When a player leaves the gaming table 4, the dealer D causes thereader/writer device 5 to read the member card 1 received from theplayer. In this case, the dealer D presses the seat-leaving button 53and holds the member card 1 up over the radio unit 51 to read the memberID from the member card 1.

The reader/writer device 5 outputs (transmits) the member ID and theseat-leaving signal to the control device 50. When the member ID and theseat-leaving signal are received from the reader/writer device 5, thecontrol device 50 records the time at which the seat-leaving signal hasbeen received as an end time. The end time is stored in the format ofdate and time. The control device 50 calculates a cumulative bet amountand a cumulative balance from the start time to the end time for themember ID. The control device 50 calculates acquired points on the basisof the cumulative bet amount from the start time to the end time.

The control device 50 adds the calculated acquired points to the heldpoints read from the member card 1 at the time of seating to update theheld points. All of the acquired points in three latest days, theacquired points in one latest month, and the acquired points in onelatest year are updated on the basis of the calculated acquired points.The control device 50 outputs the updated held points, the acquiredpoints in three latest days, the acquired points in one latest month,the acquired points in one latest year, and the cumulative balance fromthe start time to the end time to the reader/writer device 5. Thereader/writer device 5 rewrites the output information over theinformation of the member card 1. Note that, the cumulative balance fromthe start time to the end time is stored as the latest balance.

By the above-mentioned functions of the control device 50 and thereader/writer device 5, points based on an actual bet amount can beoffered to the member card 1 and a player can store the held points inthe member card 1.

The management control device 60 includes a computing device 61 and arecording device 62. In the computing device 61, the following functionsare embodied by causing a computer to execute a predetermined program.That is, the computing device 61 includes a member managing unit 611, apoint processing unit 612, and an incentive processing unit 613.

The recording device 62 is used as a database in which information ofmembers is stored. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating information of eachmember which is stored in the recording device 62. The recording device62 stores information stored in the member card 1, that is, all of themember ID, the held points, the latest balance, the acquired points inthree latest days, the acquired points in one latest month, and theacquired points in one latest year, for each member. In the recordingdevice 62, member information (nationality, name, passport number,registration date, and the like) and a play result are further stored.As the play result, a start time, an end time, a cumulative bet amountfrom seating to seat leaving, and a balance from seating to seat leavingare added whenever the player seats and then leaves a seat.

The member managing unit 611 receives member information (nationality,name, passport number, registration date, and the like) required formember registration from an input device which is not illustrated oranother device communicatively connected thereto and performs memberregistration. At this time, the member managing unit 611 gives a memberID for identifying a member. The member ID is written to the member card1 and is stored in the recording device 62 along with the memberinformation.

As described above, when a player leaves the gaming table 4, the controldevice 50 outputs the updated held points, the acquired points in threelatest days, the acquired points in one latest month, the acquiredpoints in one latest year, and the cumulative balance from the starttime to the end time to the reader/writer device 5 and also outputs thisinformation to the management control device 60. The control device 50also transmits the play result to the management control device 60.

The point processing unit 612 updates information of the correspondingmember ID stored in the recording device 62 on the basis of informationtransmitted from the control device 50. Note that, the play result isadditionally written without rewriting the past play results.Accordingly, a history of the play results of each player is stored inthe recording device 62.

With this configuration, the held points based on the bet amount arewritten to the member card 1, and points based on the bet amount arewritten to the recording device 62 as a database for each member.

The held points can be exchanged for an incentive. The incentiveprocessing unit 613 performs a process of exchanging the held points foran incentive. Incentives which can be offered according to the heldpoints are stored in the recording device 62.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between incentives, thenumber of consumption points, and offering conditions which is stored inthe recording device 62. The offering conditions include a conditionthat the latest balance is equal to or greater than a predeterminedamount (plus), a condition that the latest balance is equal to or lessthan a predetermined amount (minus), a condition that the acquiredpoints in three latest days is equal to or greater than a predeterminedvalue, a condition that the acquired points in one latest month is equalto greater than a predetermined value, a condition that the acquiredpoints in one latest year is equal to or greater than a predeterminedvalue, and the like. The latest balance may be a winning amount—a losingamount of a member in a predetermined period such as one week or onemonth as well as from previous seating to previous seat leaving and maybe referred to as a net profit of the member.

For example, an incentive which can be immediately used such as aservice of a hotel for promoting a long stay (for example, postponementof the checkout date of a hotel in which a player stays or upgrade of aroom) can be effectively offered to the member of which the latestbalance is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount such that themember stays in the casino facility after the next day and canparticipate in a game. Accordingly, offering conditions that the latestbalance is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount are added tothe incentives such as postponement of the checkout date of a hotel inwhich a player stays or upgrade of a room.

On the other hand, when the latest balance of a member is equal to orless than a predetermined amount, time-limit chips which can be usedafter a predetermined period has elapsed or coupons which can be used inthe casino facility can be effectively offered. Accordingly, offeringconditions that the latest balance is equal to or less than apredetermined amount are added to the incentives such as time-limitchips which can be used after a predetermined period has elapsed orcoupons which can be used in the casino facility. The incentives mayinclude an incentive to which offering conditions are not set and whichis achieved by only consuming points.

A game promoter acquires a profit when a value obtained by subtractingan amount of loss from a total profit of the game promoter is a plusvalue, and the game promoter has a loss when the value is a minus value.The value obtained by subtracting an amount of loss from a total profitof a game promoter is referred to as a net profit of the game promoter,and it is desirable that the costs of the game promoter associated withthe incentives offered to members be determined according to the netprofit as a whole.

A user uses the member card 1 when exchanging the held points for anincentive. Accordingly, an incentive offering device 70 is used. Theincentive offering device 70 is a device that is used in a place inwhich an incentive is offered by consuming held points and iscommunicatively connected to the management control device 60. Acommunication network between the incentive offering device 70 and themanagement control device 60 may include the Internet.

A reader/writer device 71 is connected to the incentive offering device70. The reader/writer device 71 reads all information such as a memberID and held points from the member card 1 and outputs the readinformation to the incentive offering device 70. The incentive offeringdevice 70 receives an incentive which is desired by a member. Theincentive offering device 70 transmits a request for an incentive to themanagement control device 60 along with information of the member card 1and information for identifying the incentive offering device 70.

The incentive processing unit 613 determines whether or not the heldpoints of the corresponding member ID is sufficient for the number ofconsumption points corresponding to the score thereof or whether anoffering condition is satisfied when the offering condition is set, forthe requested incentive with reference to the recording device 62 on thebasis of the information.

When there are sufficient held points and an offering condition issatisfied, the incentive processing unit 613 updates the points bysubtracting the number of points corresponding to the incentive from theheld points. The incentive processing unit 613 allows the incentiveoffering device 70 to offer the incentive and stores the number ofpoints consumed by causing the incentive offering device 70 to offer theincentive in the recording device 62.

The point processing unit 612 rewrites the held points of the recordingdevice 62 with the held points updated by offering the incentive andtransmits the updated held points to the incentive offering device 70.The incentive offering device 70 outputs the updated held points to thereader/writer device 71 and the reader/writer device 71 rewrites theheld points stored in the member card 1.

The incentive offering device 70 may be installed in a casino facility,an associated hotel, or a predetermined facility. When the incentiveoffering device 70 is installed in a casino facility, the point servicemay be a right to enter a VIP room or unrealizable game tokens. In thiscase, the incentive processing unit 613 may offer the right to enter aVIP room in exchange for a predetermined number of points or may offerunrealizable game tokens corresponding to the number of points when theheld points are equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. Whenthe incentive offering device 70 is installed in a hotel, the pointservice may be a hotel service. In this case, consumption points aredefined for each hotel service in the incentive processing unit 613 andpoints may be consumed according to the services.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since an actual betamount of each member in a game can be automatically acquired and can bereflected in points, it is possible to reliably offer points based on abet amount of each player.

Various modified examples of the second embodiment will be describedbelow.

Modified Example 1

In the second embodiment, information such as held points of each memberis stored in the member card 1 and the recording device 62 of themanagement control device 60 and both information such as the heldpoints stored in the member card 1 and information such as the heldpoints stored in the recording device 62 are updated whenever a memberparticipates in a game and consumes points, but information such as theheld points may be stored in only one of the member card 1 and therecording device 62. When information such as the held points is storedin the recording device 62, only the member ID may be stored in themember card 1. In this case, the member card 1 may be used to identify aplayer by reading the member card 1 at the time of seating and at thetime of seat leaving as described above.

Modified Example 2

In the second embodiment and Modified Example 1 thereof, a player who isseated in each player position is identified using the member card, butthe method of identifying a player is not limited thereto. FIG. 12 is adiagram illustrating a modified example of the player identifying unit.As illustrated in FIG. 12, in a game management system according to thismodified example, a camera 21 for imaging faces of players who arelocated in player positions are provided in addition to the camera 2 forimaging bet areas.

The camera 21 photographs a face of a player in a player position,generates a face image, and outputs the face image to the control device50. The control device 50 transmits the face image to the managementcontrol device 60. The computing device 61 of the management controldevice 60 includes a player identifying unit 614. The player identifyingunit 614 identifies a player by performing image analysis on the faceimage. Accordingly, the member managing unit 611 acquires a face imageof a member in correlation with the member ID and stores the acquiredface image in the recording device 62 at the time of memberregistration.

An arbitrary existing face authentication technique such as analysisusing principal component analysis, analysis using deep learning, oranalysis using a hidden Markov model can be used for the image analysisin the player identifying unit 614, or analysis using a moving image oranalysis using three-dimensional image may be used. A faceauthentication system serving as a player identifying unit isconstituted by the camera 21 and the player identifying unit 614.

Modified Example 3

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another modified example of the playeridentifying unit. In this modified example, a fingerprint reader device22 is provided in each player position as means for identifying aplayer. Although not illustrated, each fingerprint reader device 22 isconnected to the control device 50. An arbitrary existing fingerprintreader device can be used as the fingerprint reader device 22.

A player causes the fingerprint reader device 22 to read a fingerprintat the time of seating and at the time of seat leaving. When afingerprint is read, the fingerprint reader device 22 outputsinformation of the read fingerprint to the control device 50. Thecontrol device 50 transmits information of the fingerprint to themanagement control device 60. The player identifying unit 614 accordingto this modified example identifies a player through a fingerprintauthentication technique. Accordingly, a player reads a fingerprintthereof and stores the information thereof in the recording device 62 atthe time of member registration. In this modified example, a fingerprintauthentication system serving as the player identifying unit isconstituted by the fingerprint reader device 22 and the playeridentifying unit 614.

Other Modified Examples

The player identifying unit in the present disclosure may identify aplayer by performing other biometric authentication such as finger veinauthentication, iris authentication, voiceprint authentication inaddition to the face authentication or the fingerprint authentication.

In the reader/writer device 5, the seating button 52, the seat-leavingbutton 53, and the position designation button 54 may be embodied by atouch panel.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the control device 50 calculates apayout amount and a collected amount on the basis of the bet amountrecognized by image analysis and the winning/losing result from the carddistribution device 3, but the type or the number of game tokens whichare actually paid or collected on the gaming table 4 may be recognizedby analyzing an image or a video to calculate the payout amount and thecollected amount.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, some or all of the functions of thecontrol device 50 which is provided for each gaming table 4 may beincluded in the management control device 60 or some or all of thefunctions of the computing device 61 of the management control device 60may be included in the control device 50 provided in each gaming table4.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the member managing unit 611 maystore information of a class of a member as member information and theincentive processing unit 613 may change a status of a member accordingto the number of held points thereof. A status as incentive information(see FIG. 11) may be stored in the recording device 62. Accordingly, itis possible to set an incentive such as invitation of a member of a highstatus to a VIP room.

When the held points reach a predetermined amount, bonus points may beoffered. Alternatively, when points acquired within a predeterminedperiod (for example, a day, several days, or one month) are equal to orgreater than a predetermined value, bonus points may be offered. Thatis, bonus points may be offered to a member who has comprehensivelyacquired points within a predetermined period.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, at a time at which a player leaves aseat, a cumulative bet amount and a cumulative balance from seating toseat leaving are transmitted from the control device 50 to themanagement control device 60 and the reader/writer device 5 and arewritten to the recording device 62 and the member card 1. However,instead, the bet amount and the balance (the payout amount or thecollected amount) in each game from seating to seat leaving may bewritten to the recording device 62 and the member card 1. When a gameconcludes, the bet amount and the balance (the payout amount or thecollected amount) in the game may be transmitted from the control device50 to the management control device 60 and the reader/writer device 5and be written to the recording device 62 and the member card 1.

The cumulative bet amount and the cumulative balance of each memberstored in the recording device 62 can be used as credit information. Forexample, it is possible to determine that a member of which thecumulative bet amount is greater has funds power or that a member ofwhich the balance is much less than the cumulative bet amount has a highrisk.

The computing device 61 may store a net profit (that is, a cumulativeprofit) of a game promoter side (the casino side) in a predeterminedtime (for example, every hour) or period (for example, every day orevery month) in the recording device 62 and read the net profit from therecording device 62 if necessary. Information of the net profit can beused for business judgment of the casino.

When the total increase/decrease amount of the game token tray 17 beforeand after settlement of the game tokens 9 and the total amount of thebalance of each player match each other as the result of comparison, thecontrol device 50 may be configured to offer points to the player. Withthis configuration, it is possible to ascertain that payment orcollection of the game tokens 9 has been accurately performed by thesettlement and thus to offer points.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCES

-   100 Game management system-   1 Member card-   2 Camera-   21 Camera-   22 Fingerprint reader device-   3 Card distribution device-   4 Gaming table-   5 Reader/writer device-   50 Control device-   60 Management control device-   41 Computing device-   611 Member managing unit-   612 Point processing unit-   613 Incentive processing unit-   614 Player identifying unit-   62 Recording device-   70 Incentive offering-   71 Reader/writer device

What is claimed:
 1. A game management system that manages a casino gamewhich is played in a casino facility, the game management systemcomprising: a gaming table in which a game is played using game tokens;an information processing device that identifies a bet amount for eachplayer position of the gaming table on a basis of a position, a type,and the number of game tokens which have been bet; a player identifyingunit that identifies a player who participates in a game at each playerposition of the gaming table; and a point processing unit that stores amember ID of each player who is identified by the player identifyingunit and a bet amount of each player position which is identified by theinformation processing device in a database in correlation with eachother, wherein the point processing unit has a function of giving pointsbased on a bet amount of each player who is identified by the playeridentifying unit to the player.
 2. The game management system accordingto claim 1, further comprising a game result determining device that isable to determine a result of a game, wherein the point processing unitis configured to ascertain winning/losing and a balance of each playeron a basis of information of the bet amount of each player andinformation of the game result determined by the game result determiningdevice.
 3. The game management system according to claim 2, furthercomprising a game token tray that accommodates the game tokens, whereinthe information processing device is configured to determine a totalamount of the game tokens in the game token tray and to compare a totalamount of the balance of each player with a total increase/decreaseamount of the game token tray before and after settlement of the gametokens.
 4. The game management system according to claim 3, wherein thepoint processing unit is configured to offer points to the players whenthe total increase/decrease amount of the game token tray before andafter settlement of the game tokens and the total amount of the balanceof the players match each other as a result of comparison.
 5. The gamemanagement system according to claim 1, wherein the player identifyingunit is a face authentication system.
 6. The game management systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the player identifying unit is a readerdevice that is carried by each player and reads the member ID from astorage medium in which the member ID is stored.
 7. The game managementsystem according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pointprocessing unit has a function of ascertaining a start time and an endtime at which each player participates in a game in the gaming table andstoring the start time and the end time in the database.
 8. The gamemanagement system according to claim 1, wherein the point processingunit has a function of calculating a bet amount of each player for eachgame.
 9. The game management system according to claim 1, furthercomprising an incentive processing unit that provides an incentive on abasis of the bet amount which is accumulated every month or every year.10. The game management system according to claim 1, further comprisingan incentive processing unit that provides an incentive on a basis of abet amount which is accumulated every successive days.
 11. A gamemanagement system comprising: a player identifying unit that identifiesa player who participates in a game in a casino facility; a camera thatacquires an image by photographing game tokens which each player has betin the game; an information processing device that identifies a betamount of each player in the game on a basis of the image; and arecording unit that records points of each player according to the betamount identified by the information processing device.
 12. The gamemanagement system according to claim 11, wherein the recording unit is astorage medium which is carried by each player.
 13. The game managementsystem according to claim 11, wherein the recording unit is a databasein which the points for each player are recorded for a plurality ofplayers.
 14. The game management system according to any one of claims11 to 13, further comprising an incentive offering device that offers anincentive to each player according to the points recorded in therecording unit.
 15. The game management system according to any one ofclaims 11 to 14, wherein the point processing unit manages a pluralityof gaming tables, ascertains a total bet amount for each player, a netprofit of each player, or a net profit of a game promoter in apredetermined time or period, offers points or a status to each playerunder a predetermined condition on a basis of the total bet amount, thenet profit of each player, or the net profit of the game promoter, andoutputs the offered points or status.
 16. The game management systemaccording to claim 15, wherein the predetermined time or period is aday, successive days, or a month.
 17. The game management systemaccording to claim 15, wherein the point processing unit additionallyoffers points or status when the points are collectively offered in thepredetermined time or period.
 18. The game management system accordingto claim 15, wherein the point processing unit offers a right to enter aVIP room on a basis of the points or status.
 19. The game managementsystem according to claim 15, wherein the points or status is able to beexchanged for unrealizable game tokens.
 20. The game management systemaccording to claim 15, wherein the points or status is able to be usedfor paying a usage fee for a hotel or a predetermined facility.
 21. Thegame management system according to any one of claims 11 to 14, whereinthe point processing unit outputs the total bet amount of each player ascredit information of the player.